


Monkeys, Cars, and Chocolatl

by ErlkingsDaughter



Category: His Dark Materials (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Car Accidents, Chocolatl, Daemon Touching, Daemon-Harm, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Maryisa, Monkey being dumb, Self-Harm, dust - Freeform, marysa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28456704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErlkingsDaughter/pseuds/ErlkingsDaughter
Summary: In a world, in which Lyra only turns up to Boreal's one day later, Marisa strolls out at night to pay another visit to Mary. When monkey is left behind again, he decides it's time to take matters into his own hands. However, he isn't entirely used to the traffic of this other world...
Relationships: Marisa Coulter & Mary Malone, Marisa Coulter/Mary Malone
Comments: 14
Kudos: 58





	Monkeys, Cars, and Chocolatl

Just a few moments after Mrs Coulter had left Mary Malone’s office and returned back to Boreal’s dreadful estate, she regretted it thoroughly. 

The encounter left her on edge, entirely dissatisfied and positively livid. All missed opportunities were displayed to her and was making her feel incompetent. Belittled. Held back. Her rage didn’t flatten when Boreal - as the man he was - lacked the mental capacity to understand why she was so upset. On the contrary, he added only fuel to the fire.

So when the evening came and little Carlo had decided to doze off on the couch, Mrs Coulter decided to pay Dr Malone a second visit. She had to find about more about her position; the position of women in this world. Silently cursing herself for letting Malone ambush her and take control of their conversation, she now swore to turn the pages.

For a second time today, she locked her dæmon into the bedroom Boreal had so generously offered her for the night, although not without making certain suggestive hints. Mrs Coulter could hear the monkey chittering behind the closed door as she walked down the stairs carefully. And before Boreal could notice anything, she was engulfed by the night.

Mary was set on doing an all-nighter again. After her mysterious encounter with the woman who had claimed to be Lyra’s mother, her brain was buzzing with questions and she desperately tried to find out what she was dealing with. 

Since the research on Google proved to be unfruitful, Mary intended to ask the Cave, although her instinct told her not to. As she was trying to establish contact with the shadows again, she realised she just could not get her mind into the right state. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the strange woman before her, striding around her office like she owned the place. 

Sighing, she got up and decided to go home. There was simply no use as long as her thoughts wouldn’t shut up.   
The hallways were already deserted when she walked out of her office, as was the whole campus. The night was cold for the season, so she tried to hurry on her way home. There were very few people on the streets left, although the traffic was still unusually busy. 

Her mind wandered off to Mrs Coulter again and she wondered if the woman had been telling the truth at all. Maybe she wasn’t even Lyra’s mother. Maybe, she was just another cop trying to get her hands on the child. Some time ago, Mary would have sent her prayers to the child, but now she bit her tongue. Still, she hoped Lyra would be save.

Turning on the next corner, she saw a silhouette in the distance. Mary stopped dead in her tracks and wondered if she was going mad. Blinking twice, she was now quite sure the woman in the fancy suit she kept thinking about was walking right towards her.

Shaking her head slightly and with a crooked grin on her face, she walked on and prepared herself for their encounter. Probably wanted to come back for the coffee Mary promised her.

When they were only a few metres apart and she could already make out the carefully constructed smile on Mrs Coulter’s face, a violent sound of a horn disrupted her thoughts. A terrible screech followed and Mary’s eyes shot towards the road, where a golden creature quickly limped towards the pavement. Surprisingly, she noticed Mrs Coulter was suddenly swaying and steadying herself on the pavement.

 _I really must be going crazy_ , she thought as she recognised the animal, which was now making her way over to her, as some sort of monkey. Still, she hurried to the suffering little thing at once and knelt down beside him. The monkey tried to growl at her, although it sounded more like a whimper. 

“Let me help you, little one,” Mary hummed in a soothing voice and reached out towards him.   
Calculating, the dark eyes studied her as if mulling over whether to bite or give in.

Just as her hands began stroking the luscious golden fur, she could her a choked “ _No!_ ” coming from a shivering Mrs Coulter, who now joined her.

“What do you mean-”

Mary stopped talking at once when she saw the other woman. Mrs Coulter clutched her side as if in great pain, and her eyes were watering.

“Are you okay?,” Mary asked with concern and stood up. While doing so, she picked up the monkey without second thought. 

While Mrs Coulter seemed to be in even greater unease, the monkey in her arms carefully snuggled into her warmth.

“You can’t,” the other woman croaked and stifled a moan. 

“What’s going on with you? Can I help you in any way?”

Mrs Coulter didn’t answer. Though as the seconds of silence passed, she seemed to slowly regain her composure, even though she still seemed to be unsteady on her feet.

“Set him down,” she hissed. Mary stared at her in disbelief. “Please,” Mrs Coulter added in a less hostile tone.

“Is that your monkey?,” Mary asked instead.

“Yes. The cage I left him in must have been a little… insecure,” she admitted and shot the monkey a deadly gaze. As a response, he only buried his head in Mary’s chest.

“How come you even own a monkey?”

“It’s complicated,” Mrs Coulter said, getting twitchy.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. As the beautiful, intimidating blue eyes scrutinised her, Mary felt the urge to obey. Carefully, she set the monkey, who was reluctant to let go, down. Just when her hands left his body, Mrs Coulter sighed audibly.

“Thank you.”

The woman made a step towards the monkey, but he retreated hastily, shivering, as if he was expecting punishment. Mary was deeply unsettled.  
Shielding the monkey, who was now hiding behind her legs, she said: “How about a coffee now? My house is not far and you still owe me an explanation for your sudden disappearance.”

“I think…,” Mrs Coulter began but began to sway violently.

Mary rushed towards her side, steadying her. Even though she regained her stance almost at once and stiffened underneath the woman’s touch, Mary didn’t back away.

“Hey, you’re clearly not fine. Please, let me take you home.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I also have some chocolate if you want.”

Somehow, this seemed to change her mind. Mary was relieved when Mrs Coulter nodded and accepted her help instead of remaining stubborn.

“Good. Now, come on, it’s not far.”

  
Only a few minutes later, Mary opened the door to her house and let them inside. 

“There we are. Sorry, I’m afraid it’s a bit chaotic, but I’ve been busy with my research,” she apologised, chuckling.  
“Hm,” was the only thing Mrs Coulter retorted. There was an edge of bitterness in her voice.

She watched Mary throw her backpack to the side and followed her into the kitchen. Her dæmon was staying way too close to the other woman for her liking.

“Please, sit down,” Mrs Coulter was told and she settled down sheepishly. Her ribs hurt badly, but she didn’t dare give in to the pain. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’ll just take the…chocolate, as you call it.”

Mary’s eyebrows shot up and she cracked a smile.

“What do you call it then?,” she asked as she handed Mrs Coulter the chocolate bar.

“Chocolatl, naturally.”

“Why do you do that?,” she inquired and laughed.

“Because it’s right,” Mrs Coulter answered as if she didn’t understand the question and bit into her chocolatl.  
Mary shook her head, a confused smile still on her face.   
The golden monkey was inspecting her house with a natural curiosity, but never strayed too far from her. His behaviour, or rather his avoidance of Mrs Coulter concerned Mary. 

“You’ve got him well trained.” Mrs Coulter just stared at her questioningly.

“The monkey,“ Mary explained. “Is he house-trained?”

The other woman still appeared to be confused, but nodded all the same. Mary feared she might have hit her head.

“So what’s his name?”

Now Mrs Coulter seemed paralysed.

“Dr Malone…,” she began but was cut off. “Please, call me Mary.”

“Mary,” Mrs Coulter went on without returning the kind courtesy, “I would like to continue the conversation about your work. I’m sorry I had to leave so abruptly. It was an emergency.”

“I’m sure it was. I do not fancy being walked out on, you know.”

“Well, I just apologised.”

“And neither do I fancy being lied to.”

Mrs Coulter’s expression hardened, but she asked with her voice as sweet as honey: “Whatever do you mean?”

Mary hesitated for a moment before she continued. “I looked you up. There is no experimental theologian called Marisa Coulter. So if you want to know about my work, please try again and be honest with me.” 

Now Mrs Coulter looked positively delighted and it was infuriating.“What did Lyra tell you exactly?,” she asked instead.

Mary became wary. She didn't want to endanger the girl any further. “I belief I have told you this morning that she wanted to get more inside on what she calls Dust.”

“And where did Lyra say she was from?”

“She said she was from another world, but I thought…”

The monkey hopped onto the table with ease and studied Mary closely. “You see, in my world, things are a little different.”

Her eyes wandered to Mrs Coulter, then to the monkey, and then back to the woman.  
“This is not an ordinary monkey, is it?”

“No,” Mrs Coulter whispered with a devious grin.

Overwhelmed, Mary’s mind was buzzing with questions. So much was still unclear to her and she desired nothing more than inside into... whatever this was.

Finally gaining the desired control over the conversation, Mrs Coulter added: “You see, we call them dæmons.”

“Demons? In my world this means something evil.”

“Maybe they are,” the other woman mumbled absentmindedly and bit into her chocolate bar.

Mary could feel the other woman keeping her shields up, distancing herself further and further. Knowing she wouldn’t get much else out of her in that state, Mary asked instead: “How are your ribs?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, stop fooling me. I saw you clutching your ribs when we walked here. I’m not completely oblivious. What happened?”

Mrs Coulter felt trapped. She didn’t like how easily Mary was able to read her.  
“I think this is as far as we go,” she uttered and stood up. But as she was about to move to the door, she winced, the pain overcoming her once more.

“Okay, that's it, you’re clearly staying the night. I won’t have any discussions about this, I mean, you can barely hold yourself up.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” Mrs Coulter hissed viciously.

“Fine, but take some medication at least.”

All the other woman did was scoff and Mary was growing angry. “You’re not invincible.”

Turning her back on her and facing the wall, Mrs Coulter thought about her alternatives. Staying with the impertinent Dr Malone, or returning like a beaten dog to Boreal.

“Fine,” she whispered after what felt like an eternity to Mary.

“Great, I’ll get you some pain killers.”

When the golden monkey tried to follow Mary into the bathroom, Mrs Coulter cut him off with fierce determination. “This is all your fault,”she spat with contempt. 

Glittering dark eyes looked at her with fear and he unsuccessfully tried to duck away from her, when the strong hands reached for him. 

“You follow her around like a lovesick puppy. Whose side are you on, hm?” Mrs Coulter gripped his paw tightly and twisted it forcefully. She could feel the pain in her own limbs and welcomed it with delight. The monkey chittered and screamed, trying to wind himself from her too strong grip. 

And only when Mary appeared in the doorframe, alarmed by the noise, he could free himself and leaped over to her. “I… What were you doing?,” Mary stuttered, utterly perplexed.

Mrs Coulter calculated her next move carefully. Her instincts told her to push the woman away, to take hold of her dæmon again, to punish him for his treacherous behaviour. Repressing this desire, she didn’t answer and walked over to the couch.

“You do know that is animal abuse, right?”

For the second time today, Mary stroked the golden fur in attempt to comfort the distressed thing. Unable to deny how comforting the touch was, Mrs Coulter flinched.

“Why do you treat him that way? He’s such a nice little fellow,” she continued earnestly. 

“Do you ever shut up?”  
Although Mary was intent to be mad at her, but all she felt for the other woman was pity as she looked into the tortured expression on her face. 

“Not if I can help it,” she answered and shoved the pain killers into Mrs Coulter’s hands.   
Taking a deep breath and swallowing her anger, she asked: “D’you want something to drink with that?”

“Have you got camomile tea or something similar sounding in this world?”

“Sure!” Mary walked back into the kitchen and prepared the tea in silence, the monkey not leaving her side. When she walked back into the living room, she found the other woman deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about?," she asked gently.

“Lyra,” Mrs Coulter answered and sipped on her tea, ignoring the pain killers.

“She is an extraordinary girl,” Mary admitted and sat down beside her. The golden monkey neatly sat down on the armrest. 

“That she is.”

Mrs Coulter came to realise she hadn’t felt that vulnerable since a very long time. She wanted to leave, to leave this feeling behind and the woman who caused it in the first place, but Mary’s presence comforted her in a strange way.

“Is she fine?”

“I’m not here to talk about Lyra.”

“No, right, you came here to talk about work,” Mary shot back sarcastically, but decided to leave the topic of Lyra - at least for now. “I must admit, I still don’t really understand what you said earlier today. Is there another connection of science and theology in your world?”

“Science and theology are inseparable,” Mrs Coulter answered matter-of-factly and paused before she added: “I was investigating the properties of Dust - Dark Matter, as you call it here - and its effect on humanity. On the damage it brings.”  
Her voice had turned into a whisper.

“Damage?” Mary asked bewildered, “Hang on, Lyra mentioned something about sin earlier. Is that what your world thinks it is?”

Mrs Coulter cursed herself for even bringing this up and remained silent.

“It is hard for me to connect science and theology like this… I don’t know if Lyra told you already, but I used to be a nun. I completed my doctorate while I was member of the convent.”

Now Mrs Coulter turned to her in surprise. “What happened?”

“I stopped believing at some point, so I left the convent.”

The first question Mrs Coulter wanted to ask was how Mary managed to walk away unscathed, but then she was painfully reminded of the differences between their worlds.  
“Why?”

“I fell in love,” Mary retorted truthfully. “I realised, some things, some feelings, are far more important than what the church wants us to believe.”

Silently, Mary thought: _And because I could never look at women like you without my heart fluttering like a disorientated bird._

Mrs Coulter stared at her like she had never seen the woman before.

“Lyra mentioned your world handles things a little…differently.”

Mrs Coulter tutted and smiled sadly. “I’m beginning to wonder who I could have been in this world.”

“What’s keeping you from staying?”

Absentmindedly, Mary began to pet the golden monkey again, who almost purred in response. And when Mary’s hand also stroked Mrs Coulter in an attempt of consolation, a warmth long forgotten spread through her.

In a split second, her mind shut off and he mouth was on Mary’s, teeth clashing and hands roaming her body. Mary, although caught by surprise, welcomed her touch and moaned as Mrs Coulter began to caress her neck greedily. Skilled hands pushed up Mary’s shirt and explored the delicate flesh underneath.  
As Mrs Coulter was squeezing her breasts, Mary felt as if her whole body was on fire. She had allowed herself to be overwhelmed entirely, but she didn’t want the other woman to win that easily. 

However, when Mary tried to take control, Mrs Coulter was on top of her immediately to pin her down.   
“That’s not happening, love.” Mary shivered at the authority in Mrs Coulter’s voice.

Still, she could never resist a challenge.  
“You sure of that, _Mrs Coulter_?”

“You may call me Marisa if you can’t restrain yourself.”

“ _I_ can’t restrain myself?!,” Mary laughed scandalised, but was at once silenced by another kiss and a hand, wandering o so slowly downwards between her legs. Marisa’s touch was light as feathers, but demanding at the same time. Mary could swear she would find marks on her body tomorrow, but she didn’t care in the slightest. 

Whatever was happening between them, both women were intoxicated. They were a mess of soft lips, hot tongues, and smothered sighs. Their now naked flesh met in perfect union, leaving them aching for more. It was unlike anything they had ever experienced before, almost paralysing. Time stood still, a crackling tension between them, dragging them further down into the sweet darkness.  
In that precious, transient moment, both of them were suddenly able to forget all the troubles that plagued them.

  
Mary awoke the next morning completely dishevelled. Every muscle in her body ached with delightful bliss and instantly made a smile appear on her face. They had moved to her bedroom at some point last night, and now it was looking equally messy as her living room. 

With a groan, Mary realised her new gal pal had left bed already, so she got up to look for her. 

“Marisa?”

Greeted by a deafening silence, she noticed little note on the kitchen counter. 

“She can’t be serious,” Mary mumbled and unfolded the paper.

 _Maybe we’ll meet again in another world_.

This woman truly had some nerve. Disappointment flushed through Mary like poison, but she attached the note to her fridge all the same. And when she prepared to stepp through the window to Cittagàzze not many hours later, she took the note with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people!  
> As I am so obsessed with this ship and I am way too invested in them, please do enjoy my very first fanfic (ever - feels scary).
> 
> Also Happy New Year everyone! :)


End file.
